Elfs

It might seem strange that, with three Elf teams already in the game, Blood Bowl might also have room for a fourth, basic "Elf" team. After all, what is an Elf team, if it isn't a Dark Elf, High Elf, or a Wood Elf team? Well.... er... it's an Elf Team.

The official fluff says that, in the early days of Blood Bowl's post-NAF period, when most of the professional Elf teams collapsed, a handful of Elf players decided to continue playing for the love of the game rather than for the love of money, prestige, fame, etc. These players, and their descendents, now travel the Blood Bowl circuit wearing masks and mohawks as an homage to the earliest Elf teams to play the game. They accept Elfs of all social classes, and eschew the arrogance of the High Elf teams and the outright evil of the Dark Elf teams.

Elfs are not as commonly seen on the tabletop in most Blood Bowl Leagues, probably because they tend to be overlooked in favor of their higher profile Dark Elf, High Elf, and Wood Elf cousins. However, some of the most successful Blood Bowl teams, both in the Blood Bowl setting and in the actual tabletop game, have been traditional Elf rosters, and some heavily experienced Blood Bowl players have argued that the Elf team presents one of the strongest rosters currently available in the game.

Players Available

0-16 Elf Linemen

0-2 Elf Throwers

0-4 Elf Catchers

0-2 Elf Blitzers

The Star Players Dolfar Longstride, Eldril Sidewinder, Prince Moranion, Hubris Rakarth, Jordell Freshbreeze,and Morg 'n' Thorg are available for inducement by Elf teams.

 Play Style and Tactics 

Elf play is generally slanted toward a heavy Agility game. Elf Catchers are arguably the best catchers available in the game, with excellent speed, exceptional agility, and very good starting skills. However, Elf teams do suffer from a lack of dedicated defensive and bashy player tyopes, with only two players on the team (the Blitzers) having an armor value greater than 7. This can be a major weakness for the Elf team, which as a result must rely upon outmaneuvering an opponent rather than attempting to match him in the blocking game; on the other hand, certain teams can only be beaten by exchanging blows, especially with more developed opponents, and this can make developing the Elf team early on a critical, if difficult, task. All that having been noted, a well coached Elf team can usually score early and often.

Because of the reasons stated above, experienced Blood Bowl players often suggest that the Elf team should be considered an Advanced Team.

 Famous Elf Teams 

Several famous Elf teams are mentioned in Blood Bowl fluff. The Ashvale Valar and Codillian Clarions are among the earliest Elf teams mentioned by name.

 Miniatures 

Games Workshop currently produces an Elf team range, which can be acquired via direct order. Interestingly enough, these appear to be heavily influenced by the Elf artwork of first and second edition Bloodbowl, along with the first Elf miniatures released for the game, in the late 1980s.

There are numerous sources for Elfs among producers of Alternative Miniatures. One particularly good looking option is the Human team currently on offer from Black Scorpion. Although it is nominally a Human team, its players have often been used as Elfs, and the players are different enough that they won't look like "High Elfs" while displaying their own distinctive armored look. Not the traditional masks and mohawks, but a nice alternative nonetheless.